Various techniques are provided to enable the efficient power consumption and energy utilization of electronic devices. For example, a device may be switched on or off using a power switch to reduce the device's power consumption. Alternatively, an electronic device may be provided with a reduced power state during periods of time when the device is not actively used, for efficient energy utilization. For example, a multimedia system transmitting video, audio, and controls may enter into a standby mode, to reduce power consumption. Techniques to interact with powered electronics without the use of physical hardware have been developed.